Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

The snow lion stays in the mountains, and the snow lion's ways are the snow lion's ways.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill.

The way to overcome anger is to be too busy being kind to have time to be angry.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

In the monastery of your body, the monk of your mind must stay in retreat.

Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

To live is enough.

In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense.

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.

When we develop patience, we find that we develop a reserve of calm and tranquility.

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.